Firm Hand
by spicyberries
Summary: Kakashi Hatake can only take so much from this three assigned blessings, especially from Sasuke. Contains spanking.
1. Last straw

In the jōnin training, they'd taught them to be patient. Patience was important when you were in charge of a genin group, and Kakashi liked to think he had plenty of it. He'd actually already proved himself several times in previous missions, because when Uzumaki Naruto was one of your students there was nothing less to be expected from you; but by this point he was starting to wonder if maybe he was just too good at pretending.

Because, may the sweet Gods of ninja forgive him, it was from all of a sudden that he wasn't feeling humanly capable of taking his team's childish tantrums anymore. In his defense, he'd had a very long day, his three genin had been injured during that morning's mission, they'd been discussing all day ever since and the trip to the hospital had been particularly stressful. Worst thing was, Sasuke had been the one to blame for most of it.

But then, even after all of that, when the blissful silence on their way back to the village was broken by some stupid bickering that Naruto started but Sakura and Sasuke continued, Kakashi still put big effort into trying and make his breathing exercises work. However, everything went to hell in the precise second Sasuke took Naruto by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the trunk of the nearest tree.

Naruto, of course, responded by absolutely forgetting that his teammate had been strangled to unconsciousness just that morning and slamming his forehead against his; for he surely had nothing inside of that pretty little blond head of his he should be worried about damaging. Sasuke would have taken that hit graciously any other day, but not that one.

That small impact and the consequent bend of his neck had him crying out, gasping and nearly falling from the tree as he doubled over in a desperate attempt to conceal his pain. Naruto, realizing his big mistake, immediately held him by the shoulders and slowly guided him to his knees. Sasuke slapped his hands away, naturally.

The picture of Naruto's baby blue eyes shining with regret didn't awake the littlest bit of sympathy from Sakura, as expected, and she threw such a mean look at his direction that Kakashi almost took her by the wrist to keep her from going to check on Sasuke. As soon as she was at their side, she made it her personal mission to tell Naruto how stupid he was and how he just never did anything right. Ignoring completely that Sasuke had been the one to hurt him first.

Then Sasuke slapped Sakura's hands away when she tried to see his neck, making her shriek, and he kicked Naruto against the tree once more.

And that was it.

Kakashi snapped.

He wasn't aware of what he was doing until he had suddenly taken Sasuke by his shirt, hauled him up like he weighted nothing more than a handful of kittens and sat him on his lap. The boy was so bewildered by this that he didn't even make an effort to stop him from carefully tilting his chin in different directions in order to examine closely the hideous purple marks that peeped over his bandages, courtesy of the enormous hands that had tried to choke him hours ago.

After determining that he hadn't been injured further, at least not to an extent his next dose of anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxant wouldn't be able to fix, he let go of Sasuke's face and allowed himself to be confronted by his tiny student's trademark Uchiha glare. This time Kakashi didn't give back a silly smile, like he used to. This time, he looked Sasuke dead in the eye and allowed him to see how unpleased he was.

Before the little bastard could gather enough air in his lungs to make some snarky remark, Kakashi took him by the shirt again and forced him down to lay on his stomach. The Third Hokage would probably want to murder him when he found out he'd done this to a student with a strain in his neck, but he'd forgive him as soon as he found out how many fights Sasuke had tried to pick in less than twelve hours.

And how he'd thrown himself once again into the open arms of danger earlier that day.

Remembering the scene from that morning had Kakashi bringing his hand down in one slap so firm that it left his hand stinging, even through his gloves. The genin in his lap jumped and then stayed so awfully still and quiet for so many seconds that for a moment Kakashi feared he'd broken him.

Then the boy slowly turned his head back as much as his neck would allow and observed him with wide eyes.

"Don't you dare," Kakashi warned when he saw him wince. "Look down. Now. I'm not having you making the pain worse."

"You just hit me," Sasuke muttered, once again dumbfounded.

"No, you hit your comrades," Kakashi said. "I am disciplining you. It's what it is called when a sensei gets fed up with a student's attitude. Now, Sasuke. Look. Down."

Sasuke frowned, and that frown slowly deepened as he took in what was happening. By the time Kakashi took his gloves off, the boy had finally recovered his wits and was snarling at him looking like the most enraged kitten he'd ever had the misfortune of encountering. Kakashi had enough tact to gently guide Sasuke's head back down before he brought his hand down again on the same spot.

And Sasuke lost it.

Had Kakashi not been expecting his trashing and flailing, he would have probably dropped him. But he knew his student way to well not to know how to react to that, so he simply sat down against the tree behind him and used one of his legs to pin down Sasuke's while the boy vowed on giving him the most painful death he could ever imagine.

He had an awfully vast knowledge of profanities for a kid his age. After having firmly secured Sasuke's wrists against the small of his back, Kakashi gave him another three quick smacks to show how displeased he was with his language. Sasuke cursed yet once more.

Then he aimed for Sasuke's other cheek, and the fifth slap had the boy already crying out in pain. Kakashi felt disconcerted about that at first, but then he recalled their trip to the hospital. They'd given Sasuke an injection, for the pain and the inflammation, and since he wasn't fond of needles ever since Haku's incident, he'd put up a fight to try to avoid it. His whimpers had made it very clear to Kakashi that it'd hurt him a lot, but that probably was because the brute nurse hadn't been particularly sweet at administering it while Kakashi restrained him.

Though he wanted to give him a lesson, it didn't feel fair for Kakashi to say he didn't want Sasuke feeling more pain on his neck but going on anyway and making him hurt where he was already hurting. So, he concentrated only on the unharmed right side of his student's rear, but he gave him five smacks in succession to compensate for it.

"You are not allowed to turn against your own teammates," Kakashi landed some more slaps on Sasuke's undercurve, and then on his thighs. "And I don't ever want to see you again starting a fight when you're hurt, Sasuke. That's just stupid. Being upset because of a bad day is okay, throwing a tantrum is not. Start acting your age."

Sasuke jerked again, though this time it was a weak attempt. Then he stopped moving and hung his head lower, his shoulders shaking almost imperceptibly. It made Kakashi realize the punishment shouldn't last much longer, so he resolved for starting to slow his pace.

"And I think this is obvious enough, but I don't ever, ever—" Kakashi brought his hand down particularly hard to accentuate his statement, making Sasuke jump again. "Want to see you trying to take down an enemy thrice your size alone, young man. If that ever happens again under my tutelage, you're going to be very, very sorry."

Hearing something that sounded like a very soft sob made Kakashi shudder, but he forced himself to finish.

"You're very strong, Sasuke, and smart. You're. So. Much. Better. Than. This. Behave like it."

He added one slap between each word and then, after adding the last one a bit of emphasis for good measure, he immediately started tracing slow circles with his stinging hand on Sasuke's lower back. Then he heard the sobbing again, and he took in a deep breath.

"Take your time," He granted, giving the cheek of the injection a gentle rub to ease the pain he was sure he'd reawakened. "I still need to talk to your teammates anyway, so you don't need about hurrying to compose yourself. You and I already had our conversation."

He raised his head and acknowledged the presence of his other two tiny demons for the first time since he'd taken Sasuke over his lap. The kids were looking down, deeply ashamed, and when their eyes finally went up Kakashi made sure to give them back a stern look, no matter how much they resembled of a pair of very sorry ducklings.

"I'll be dealing with you two later, Naruto and Sakura," He said, relief washing over him at feeling that Sasuke's breathing had started to regularize again. "What you two did wasn't okay either. You're a team. How many times am I going to have to tell you that? I'm very, very upset with the three of you. Team 7 will be taking D missions for the next two weeks."

If he'd thought Sakura's sweet and sad eyes couldn't look any larger, he was wrong.

"And don't think that's it," Kakashi warned, at the same time he helped Sasuke into a sitting position again. The boy was stiff with shame and grumpiness, but the skin at the edge of his eyes and some patches on his cheeks were still red because of the tears. "This last fight was the last straw. If Sasuke got this punishment, then so are you two. I haven't decided when, but you'll know, don't worry."

Sakura squealed in terror, and Naruto covered his face with both hands. To his surprise, even Sasuke looked at him straight in the eye once more.

"No," Sasuke muttered, frowning and still sniffing a little. "Well, maybe Naruto. But not Sakura. She didn't do anything."

"Hey, you bastard! " Naruto protested immediately, but Kakashi fixed him with a single look that made him squeal just like Sakura. "I mean, I also think it's not fair for Sakura-chan. But Sasuke was the one to start the fight! I was just defending myself, sensei!"

Kakashi slowly threaded his fingers through Sasuke's hair, feeling his muscles starting to loosen up a little. Given that the boy on his lap made no attempt to snap his wrist or bite him, he allowed himself to gently scratch his nape too. At least it looked like someone had learned his lesson.

"I appreciate the fact that you both care for Sakura so much," Kakashi said, blatantly ignoring Naruto's desperation not to be in trouble. "But she also left much to be desired from her teamwork aptitudes. I'll go a lot easier on her, though."

He guided Sasuke to stand up and then he did the same, ignoring the glare from his two male students. He wasn't looking forward to it, either, but at the jōnin training they'd also been taught not to treat the girls in their group any differently than the boys. He already indulged Sakura enough by taking her as a priority to protect when there was danger.

After an onceover to make sure that Sasuke was okay, Kakashi nudged him towards the other two little devils. He would make sure to give him all the comfort he needed as soon as they were settled somewhere for the night, the last thing he needed was for some other ninja on the road to see him coddling his students.

"Now, let's go," He urged them. "You've all been slow enough all day. We have to be half the way back by the night. In silence, please."

No one complained. The three were pouting and sulking, but they didn't seem in the mood to scream like they'd been doing in the last hours. Kakashi almost sighed in delight.

They were almost cute when they were this obedient.


	2. Headache

I forgot to say I'm truly sorry about the grammatical horrors in this work, english is not my first language. I'm not trying to be mean by damaging your pretty eyes, I promise.

* * *

Sakura started crying after the third swat. She'd had tears already forming in her eyes before her punishment even began, but still Kakashi hadn't been prepared to obtain such a regretful genin in so little time. He still brought his hand down two times more, and Sakura gave two jumps that made him wonder if perhaps his hand had set on fire without him noticing.

In contrast to Sasuke, who had cried almost too imperceptibly for anyone else than Kakashi to notice, Sakura didn't seem capable of keeping her feelings for herself. Her ugly sobbing was so heart-wrenching that it made Kakashi tense up. He paused to take a deep breath.

It was too early in the morning for that. He had taken Sakura a few meters away from where they had slept precisely because he hadn't wanted to wake the boys up with the noise, but now he was sure it had been in vain. He hadn't expected her to cry so openly. He was being gentler than he had been with Sasuke, after all; though in Sakura's defense her thin dress surely didn't offer any protection.

When Sakura finally started begging for forgiveness, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to go on. He gathered her into his arms carefully and let her press her teary face against his neck. And then, instead of calming, she started crying harder. It made his heart ache.

It was after five good minutes of caressing her short hair and whispering soft reassurances in her ear that Sakura finally remembered how to breath regularly.

"I'm so sorry, sensei," Sakura babbled, resting her cheek on Kakashi's shoulder. "I won't do it ever again. It was stupid. I'm so dumb."

"No, Sakura. You're smart. So very smart. If you weren't, I wouldn't get disappointed when you do something like this," Kakashi sighed, brushing his mask-covered lips against her temple. "I wouldn't even bother into disciplining you if I knew that you're just not intelligent enough."

What she'd done hadn't been that serious, actually. Kakashi had only caught her training before everyone else was up. It was something he would have normally felt proud about, except Sakura had a sprained wrist and strict orders from him not to strain herself.

She was spending too much time with the boys lately, and their recklessness was contagious. Kakashi couldn't allow her to stop caring about the consequences of her actions, so he had felt forced to intervene.

Luckily, Sakura was so smart that she didn't need a lot of persuasion to see what she'd done wrong.

"Sakura-chan! Are you okay?"

Kakashi raised his head to be met by a pair of very anxious baby blue eyes. Though his eyes were still sleep-fogged, Naruto had somehow managed to approach them without stumbling over his own feet or making a lot of noise, which was frankly surprising. He was starting to move less like a blind fox kit and more like a ninja.

He seemed quite relieved to see that Sakura was with their sensei. Now convinced that everything was in order, he finally allowed himself to stretch and yawn loudly. Kakashi couldn't help his lips from curling into an endeared smile at the sight. While Naruto was a walking headache most of the time, he could also be just as adorable as his teammates when he proposed.

However, his smile disappeared as soon as Naruto came closer. It was normal for him to be that sleepy so early in the morning, but there was something not quite right about the sluggishness of his movements. As soon as he finally had the boy at an arm's distance, Kakashi looked intently into his eyes and his suspicions were confirmed when he noticed how much trouble Naruto was having to stay focused.

"For how long have been feeling this dizzy?" Kakashi asked, failing at trying not to sound as displeased as he was starting to feel. "Naruto. Have you thrown up?"

The boy blinked too many times and even rubbed his face before looking at him again, but confusion still clouded his eyes. Kakashi had to inhale really deeply to try and appease his suddenly accelerated heart.

"No. Sasuke did, though—" Naruto interrupted himself and blinked several times again. As if invoked by the mention of his name, Sasuke appeared from the trees, looking so pale that Kakashi had to rub his temples. "And, um— I, I thought my head would stop feeling funny when I slept."

So, he had been feeling like that all night.

And that wasn't all of it. Sasuke didn't look any better than him, with his lips pressed so tight together and all the lines of his face tense as he tried to hide his pain. Not that he was having any luck at it. As Sasuke arrived at their side, with his forehead and nose scrunched up, Kakashi noticed the thin layer of sweat that covered his skin.

Well.

Fuck.

"Naruto," Kakashi sighed, while gently rearranged Sakura in his lap so she was sitting only on one of his legs. Then he patted his other leg. "Come here."

He didn't have to ask twice. Naruto eagerly took a place in his lap, snuggling against him. He never turned down any opportunity to be that close to someone, the tiny and adorable idiot. Kakashi wasn't going to indulge him after hiding his symptoms, though. He peeled Naruto away from him, and the boy started struggling in his grip.

One single firm smack on his student's thigh was enough to force him to stay still for a second. Then he brushed his hand against Naruto's hair, fingers prodding his scalp very lightly, looking for bumps. He found was he was looking for when Naruto whimpered as he caressed his forehead.

"You idiot," Kakashi hissed between his teeth.

"It's his concussion, right?" Sakura asked, her green eyes shining with worry. It was like she hadn't been crying her eyes out only a few moments ago. "Now it's more serious than before."

Kakashi nodded, and Sakura sighed too.

It had started like a very mild concussion. It was so slight that the doctor had told Kakashi he had nothing to be worried about. Naruto's behavior and energy hadn't changed at all, so Kakashi had practically forgotten about it. And he too, apparently, since he had so willingly hit Sasuke with his own head.

As soon as Naruto wasn't about to throw up or faint, Kakashi was going to have _words_ with him.

In that moment, though, what he needed was to get his genin to feel better. His three genin, actually. Sakura still had to rest, and Sasuke...

Sasuke evidently needed more attention than any of his teammates.

Kakashi stood up slowly, causing his students to do the same. Sakura did so quietly, while Naruto started complaining immediately. Kakashi ignored him and proceeded to unclasp one of his hip pouches. Then he retrieved a small vial, with a dropper, and took Naruto by the chin to plop three drops on his tongue. The boy's nose scrunched up in disgust, but Kakashi bribed him to swallow with a caress on his cheek.

"That'll help you," Kakashi said, putting the vial back on his pouch. "Now, off to sleep, you two."

"But Sasuke-ku—"

"But the bastard is not—"

"I won't repeat myself," Kakashi warned, voice low and stern. Then he delivered a smack to each of the behinds in front of him the kids their way. "Don't test my patience."

Both obeyed then, but not without throwing a betrayed look over their shoulder while they walked as slow as it was humanly possible. Hadn't he known that Naruto was truly feeling disoriented, Kakashi would have rushed them. But, as it was, he let them be.

Then he took Sasuke's hand and sat down again on the tree stump where he'd been before, tugging him along to sit in his lap too. He'd been awfully quiet. Judging by the tension on his entire body, clearly a consequence of his efforts not to show he was in pain, he was still trying to pretend he was fooling Kakashi.

"Stop this, Sasuke," Kakashi scolded, while he carefully examined his neck. He didn't dare to take his chin in his hand, this time. He didn't need to. Sasuke's muscles were so strained it was impossible not to notice only by looking closely. "You're getting your injection whether you like it or not."

A shiver ran up Sasuke's spine, Kakashi could feel it. The boy closed his eyes painfully tight, and Kakashi felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest again. Sasuke was holding back his frustration and shame tears. When he finally composed himself enough to glare at him, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to feel the slightest anger.

"Don't give me that look. I should have given it to you last night," Kakashi said, running his hand through Sasuke's hair. The boy responded by showing him his teeth, and not in a friendly way. "You won't feel any better without it. I bet you didn't sleep at all."

"Why won't you shut the fuck up?"

Oh, so someone was grumpy.

"Nope. Not sleep at all," Kakashi nodded to himself. "But don't worry, the medicine will make you feel sleepy. You can sleep all you want. We won't be going anywhere today anyway, thanks to Naruto."

"That idiot," Sasuke muttered through his teeth, closing his eyes again. If that was all he was going to say about Naruto, then he was actually feeling really bad. Kakashi felt the need to hurry.

"Your right cheek is the one that already hurts. Right?" Kakashi asked, fumbling with his pouch. "So, I'll be delivering this dose in your left one."

"And I'll be delivering my fist to your face."

Kakashi didn't bother into answering. Sasuke's words could be sharp, but he could perceive how much he was trembling in his lap. Once he found one of the preloaded syringes the doctor had given him, Kakashi guided Sasuke to stand up. The boy complied and didn't try to fight the hands that coerced him to turn around, so he was facing his sensei.

"It'll be over in a second," Kakashi said, while he wrapped his arms around Sasuke. He did it fast, so Sasuke wouldn't see the syringe he was holding in one of his hands. Then he gently nudged him, so he would be close enough to be pressed against him. It served both as a form of comfort and to prevent him from moving.

As soon as he tugged the waistband of Sasuke's pants and boxers down, his genin decided for firmly burying his face into the crook of his neck. His skin was clammy, alarmingly so for someone that didn't usually sweat that much, and his face was warm. Probably because of the shame.

Not because his sensei was about to give him an injection, but because he deeply hated his phobia. Kakashi knew that.

He teared open the small packet that contained the alcohol wipe and swabbed Sasuke's skin with it. Sasuke clenched all his muscles, as expected, so Kakashi spent a few minutes rubbing the small of his back in an attempt to make him relax. Recalling the scene in the hospital, he realized he wasn't going to accomplish it.

So, he just reaffirmed his hold on Sasuke, holding him as tightly as he could without hurting him, and stuck the needle deep into his buttock with a single movement. Sasuke cried out, as loud as he had at the hospital, and Kakashi could immediately feel his tears wetting his uniform. He whimpered, and tried to struggle, but Kakashi's iron grip didn't let him move a centimeter while he pressed the plunger down.

He whispered soft reassurances in Sasuke's ear, but that didn't seem to comfort him at all. His heart still beat too hard against his ribs, so hard Kakashi felt it, and his trembling didn't stop.

All he could do was administer the medicine as fast as he could without making the pain worse. When he finally retrieved the needle, Sasuke practically melted against him, overwhelmed by the situation. Kakashi pressed the alcohol wipe against the tiny puncture and rubbed, while shushing Sasuke's weak whimpers by pressing his lips against his forehead.

"That's it," Kakashi whispered, rearranging Sasuke's clothes. "That's all, Sasuke. We're finished. You're okay."

Now wanting to sit him down again, for he clearly was feeling too sore at the moment, Kakashi stood up and embraced his usually most stoic genin tightly. He was mindful of his neck while doing that, of course. No matter how deeply he wished to squeeze Sasuke to health, he knew he shouldn't overdo it. He'd suffered enough from Guy to know that.

The crying slowly decreased, until it was reduced to hiccups. Quite rare, but endearing hiccups. Kakashi's need to protect the boy in his arms got so strong he felt overwhelmed. Protect him from what? From Kakashi himself? From his pain medicine? He would never know.

When the familiar pair of black eyes finally locked with his, heavy with sleep and framed by pink irritated skin, Kakashi couldn't handle it anymore. He scooped Sasuke up in his arms in one swift movement, ignored his undignified yelp, and started towards the camp. Sasuke tried to protest, but then apparently decided that not having to walk was actually kind of nice and rested his head on Kakashi's shoulder.

There was a frown on his face, but his half-lidded eyes gave away how comfortable he was. The only good think about that injection was how fast it made the medicine kick in. That was the only reason Kakashi had ever agreed on that treatment for Sasuke.

They were received by Naruto's soft snores and Sakura's curious eyes.

"I gave you an order, young lady," Kakashi said, though he wasn't angry. He carefully placed Sasuke on his respective sleeping mat and tucked in with his thin rug before he could complain. Not that he seemed to mind. He was more asleep than awake by now.

Sakura blinked owlishly at him and at his teammate before smiling sheepishly. Then she closed her eyes.

Kakashi scratched gently Sasuke's scalp until he started to snore softly, too, and then he finally allowed himself to stretch. Genin were tiny, but heavy. Having them all over him wasn't as comfortable as it looked.

He sighed as he felt a slight pang in his head, slowly growing bigger.

They would be the end of him.

* * *

Thank you Chan and rosyhatake for your reviews! (:


	3. Safe

Sorry about the grammatical errors!

* * *

The whole point of letting his genin sleep for longer than they would usually be allowed to in a mission was to have them well rested the next day, so they could be back in Konoha before noon. His team was too slow when tired, and Kakashi would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried about the possible ambushes that could be waiting for them in the road. He needed them alert to at least have a chance to defend themselves.

At first everything went according the plan. Naruto opened his eyes shortly before lunch time, quite moody after having skipped breakfast but looking much better than when he'd first woken up. Kakashi took a few minutes to check on his reflexes and, after determining that his jinchūriki healing ability had done a satisfactory job once again, he entrusted Naruto to keep an eye on his teammates while he went to fish them a proper meal.

When he was back an hour later there was a fire already waiting for him, and Sakura was helping Naruto to identify which of the nearby bushes contained berries that were safe to eat. After collecting some of them, they both helped Kakashi to clean and cook the fish like the cute and diligent little genin they were.

Sasuke stirred as soon as the delicious smell hit him, but it took him a few more minutes to entirely wake up and join them by the fire. Though the effects of the medicine were already worn off by then, the boy still looked drowsy, and Kakashi took that as a good signal. That meant Sasuke wasn't being bothered by the pain yet.

The four of them had a pleasant meal, with no bickering and no insults, and then Kakashi spent the rest of the day distracting his students with theoretical lessons and a pair of mind games that were specially designed for young ninja, to strengthen their analytical skills. He needed them to be sleepy again by the time the sun went down, and that seemed like the perfect strategy.

When the night finally fell, however, everything went to hell once again.

* * *

"Sensei," Sasuke whined weakly, voice trembling, before another bout of nausea had him retching again. Kakashi felt like throwing up himself. If Sasuke was calling him sensei, then something had to be very wrong with him. He tried not to let his anxiety show, because he knew that wouldn't help at all to get the boy in his arms to calm down.

"It's okay. Don't hold back. You'll feel better after this," Kakashi promised, running his hand through Sasuke's hair and holding it back for him. He wasn't so sure of his words anymore, though. He'd been telling his student that for the past hour, and that hadn't stopped him from throwing up another two times, even though he'd already emptied his stomach the first time.

Now the only thing coming up was the water Kakashi had been trying to get in him. And that was starting to worry him sick. He'd heard too many stories about severe dehydration not to recognize the potential danger hovering over his genin. Not to mention that he was sure the violent retching was doing absolutely no good to his strained neck.

When Sasuke finally managed to stop coughing, Kakashi gave him some more water to rinse his mouth with and started rubbing his shoulders. Panic was forming a tight knot in his throat. He didn't feel like it would be adequate to force Sasuke to drink anything anymore, but at the same time he knew that not doing so would be inacceptable.

So, Kakashi coerced his tiny student to take a few more sips and swallow, ignoring his complaints and soft whimpers, and rewarded him by threading his fingers through his hair. Then he helped him back to his feet and guided him back to where his just-as-worried teammates were waiting.

"We're leaving," Kakashi informed as soon as they were together again. "Naruto, Sakura, grab your things and Sasuke's."

A little voice in the back of his head asked him whether he was an idiot or an imbecile. Kakashi decided he was probably both. But he just couldn't bring himself to accept the idea of one of his genin spending a whole night without being able to retain an ounce of water in his body and with no proper medical attention.

Worst thing was, he had absolutely no idea of what was exactly wrong with Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura were okay. Kakashi himself was okay too. He did know that it was easy to get food poisoning from eating fish, but he wasn't sure whether it was normal for only one person to get it.

"I'll carry Sasuke on my back, sensei," Naruto's unusually shy voice brought him back to reality after a few minutes, and Kakashi looked at him with disconcert. Did he think that it would be hard for him to carry Sasuke all the way? "I mean, you're the strongest of us. And, uh— you'll probably want to have your hands free in case some bad guys try to attack us."

Something warm spread in Kakashi's chest. Pride? Fondness? Endearment? Probably everything at the same time. The slight blush on Naruto's cheeks gave away how much effort it was taking him to admit that. He was always trying to play hero, after all. That was what mostly got him in trouble with his sensei all the time.

"That's very mature from you, Naruto," Kakashi conceded, and that earned him the sweetest beam he'd ever seen in anyone's face. "But I'll carry Sasuke. He's unwell, but still has enough strength to hold onto me by himself. You don't need to worry, I'll be able to defend the three of you if something goes wrong."

And he wasn't sure yet if Sasuke was contagious or not, but he wasn't willing to find out.

"I can also defend myself," Sasuke protested, voice barely a whisper, and Kakashi chuckled. "It's not funny. I can."

"No, it's not," Kakashi agreed, sighing, though still smiling behind his mask. "I thought I had made myself very clear yesterday about engaging into battle while in unfavorable conditions, Sasuke. Do you need a small reminder?"

He felt Sasuke tensing up against his side, where he was leaning on him because just a few minutes before he had been shaking. God, could this boy be stubborn. Kakashi didn't give him a warning smack only because he knew Sasuke was already feeling miserable.

"Are you in pain?" Kakashi asked him, softly so Naruto and Sakura understood they were not to intervene in that conversation. "How is your neck feeling?"

The boy was about to shrug, but Kakashi's stern look made him think twice.

"Sore," Sasuke admitted, avoiding his eyes. "But I'm okay. I don't need— I don't want more medicine." He hastily corrected himself when Kakashi lifted his chin with one finger to make him meet his eyes.

"I won't be giving you another needle this night," Kakashi promised, and didn't miss the way Sasuke's shoulders dropped with relief. "But I don't want you to lie, okay? If it gets too bad, you tell me. Same thing if you start feeling nauseous again. We'll make as many stops as it's necessary, but we need to be back at the village as soon as possible."

The doctor had been very clear. Sasuke was to be injected for three days before he was allowed to start taking the pills. But he'd only had two doses in two days so far, when he actually ought to be due for his fourth that night. He was dealing with pain when he wasn't supposed to.

And the easiest way of getting rid of nausea was also a shot. Medicine against vomiting was a must have in the first aid kit, and while it was mostly given orally, jōnin were instructed to administer it intramuscularly when their students weren't able to keep liquids down. Which was Sasuke's case.

But the thing about medicine was that it had side effects. And that one needed to be a doctor to know for sure if two drugs could be mixed together. Kakashi didn't know if Sasuke's sudden sickness was provoked by something he ate or by his stupid medicine yet. He wasn't about to take any risks by sticking him with another needle.

"I would like to tell you to sleep if you feel like it," Kakashi said, while kneeling down and offering his back to Sasuke. "But, as I said, I really need you to be able to hold onto me, so I can use the shuriken if something goes wrong."

He felt the weight of his student as he obediently settled on his back, and his head nodding yes against his shoulder. Then Kakashi stood up again and was suddenly aware of the unsettling heat that Sasuke radiated. That wasn't there before, he'd checked. He cursed lowly.

"Looks like I'll be keeping an eye on you for a few days, kid" Kakashi informed. "I'm pretty sure that that fever means infection."

Then he looked back to where his other two genin waited and felt dismay at the implications of his discovery.

"Naruto and Sakura," He sighed. "If any of you feels the slightest wave of nausea, you tell me immediately."

He examined carefully the faces of both genin, which now looked horrified. At least their skin still had a healthy color, and neither of them seemed to be hiding anything. Kakashi had learned to see through them when they lied.

"Very well, then," Kakashi said, trying to force a smile. "You know the rules for travelling at night. I want you as close as possible from me. If we're ambushed, aim for their legs. We only want to stop them from following us, we're not interested in a battle. Targeting tendons is difficult, but that's the ideal scenario. Understood?"

"Hai!"

"Sakura. You are not allowed to use your left hand," Kakashi warned. "Naruto, I am begging you not to slam your head into anyone or anything. You'll be in trouble if you attempt to disobey me."

Sakura smiled sheepishly, and Naruto pouted. Kakashi closed his eyes and took a few seconds for himself.

You are to protect them.

"Follow me."

* * *

The only poor moron that decided to attack them was so pathetic that Sasuke took him down with a single kunai before Kakashi even noticed that he was waiting for them from the shadows with a genjustsu casted on him. That earned Sasuke a swat and a lecture because _for Lord First's sake, Sasuke, using the sharingan is just as forbidden as trying to fight when you're both sick and injured_ , but apart from that there were no other obstacles in the way.

They got to Konoha, safe and sound, just before the sun went up. The first thing they did was go to the hospital, naturally, where Sasuke received both an IV and an injection, and Kakashi was lectured about the proper sanitary practices f _or cooking a goddam wild fish in the middle of nowhere_ while his tiny student clung to him for dear life and cursed every single other soul that dared to try and comfort him.

He was also severely reprimanded for not thoroughly following the prescription of the other doctor. And was ordered to have his team out of duty for the next week, which was absolutely unnecessary because he had already planned on doing that by himself.

Naruto and Sakura luckily didn't seem affected by whatever bug that had infected Sasuke. However, he was told that he would have many things to explain to the Third Hokage regarding his team's poor condition. And Kakashi felt outraged, because his genin were little wayward beasts, that was _all_ the explanation.

But, at the end of the morning, he was allowed to take Sasuke home, which was the least they could do after torturing his genin and stressing him out so much. All of that while explaining Kakashi everything he'd done wrong. He knew he wasn't perfect. But he tried his best. And his best consisted on always making sure his children were not scared before sticking two ass sized needles in them.

He didn't get to calm himself down until had his genin in his house, the three of them grumpy and hungry and sore and so very tired.

Sasuke wasn't allowed to have anything else than juice until the next day, even though the injection had taken his nausea away, so Kakashi could only make his day a little less awful by giving him some jelly. Then he served some cereal for the other two cute little hellions.

And they were asleep on the couch before he could blink.

And then, finally, some of the tension went away.

They were okay. They were safe.

He could take care of the three of them without fearing that someone would come out of nowhere to hurt them or take them away, given that they were vulnerable because of their injuries. And while giving Sasuke his medicine would still be a challenge, he could at least give him tomato soup or whatever he wanted as soon as he was able to eat again.

He finally allowed himself to close his eyes.

And peacefully rest his poor exhausted head on the first surface it found nearby: the table. It was more like a black out, actually.

Parenting kids half his age was going to be the death of him.

* * *

I can't really tell if this will be the last chapter or not. After all, this was supposed to be a single-chapter thing and ended up being this long, so maaybe there'll be another (: but who knows. Anyway, thank you so much for reading!


	4. Guilt

Little Red Riding Brat asked about Naruto's turn. So here's it! I couldn't help myself.

And there's another small request from a Guest, so that's coming next. Though I don't know yet if I'll add that one as a chapter or as a new story.

Anyway, please have this other chapter with more tiny cute grammatical errors.

Thank you to rosyhatake, Chan, Little Red Riding Brat and Guest for the reviews!

* * *

He woke up to _yelling._

Opening his eyes was painful, even though he was surrounded by darkness. The first thing he was aware of was the dull and throbbing ache in his temples, which started to intensify as the screaming behind his door gradually rose. Then he realized that he wasn't in the kitchen anymore, and that apparently his precious genin had teamed up to tuck him into his futon.

However, the warmth he felt in his chest was significantly overshadowed by the sudden murderous need that invaded him. He'd imagined that they would eventually start to misbehave again, but he hadn't expected it to be that soon. He didn't even understand from where they were getting their energy to cause trouble. They'd been out like lights that very same morning, there was no way they could be recovered after so little sleep.

Or maybe Kakashi was just old. He didn't know anymore. He couldn't bring himself to care, actually. All he needed in that moment was to get them to shut up, so he rose to his feet and went directly to the door. He made sure to slide it open with enough force to make noise, hoping that his students would hear him and get unsettled enough to stop their bickering, but the level of the voices only increased.

Normally he'd have bothered into hearing what they were arguing about in order to carefully plan his lecture. That night, though, Kakashi just couldn't gather enough patience. Not with the killer headache that was starting to overwhelm him. He could only notice that the discussion was mainly between Sasuke and Naruto, like all the damn time, and that Sakura was trying to get them to stop.

"Why don't you just go away, loser?"

"Me? I'm not the reason why we must spend an entire week doing nothing. _You_ go away, you bastard!"

"Sakura can't do missions either, idiot. And you'd still be drooling and babbling bullshit if it weren't for your weird healing abilities."

"I wouldn't even have gotten that concussion if you weren't such an idiotic asshole, you—"

"—And, even though you're not injured, you're just always too stupid to be useful. So just go and get lost. Find some other team to bother with your uselessness."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's shriek made Kakashi take a decision.

He stormed into the living room without bothering into keeping his annoyance from showing in his frowning face. Then he strode directly to where Sasuke stood and firmly took him by his arm, not missing the way the boy flinched and how his eyes grew larger as he realized in how much trouble he'd just gotten himself into.

"Medicine, Sasuke," He ordered, narrowing his eyes as he looked at him. Daring him to try and talk back. "Now."

A shuddering breath left his student's lips, and he went so pale that Kakashi ran out of words for a few seconds. He just stared back at Sasuke's panicked eyes, feeling a small pang of guilt in his stomach at realizing how unwise that move had been.

The irritation started to fade slowly, and to get replaced by nervousness. Using the excuse of medicine as a punishment was unacceptable. Particularly in Sasuke's case. But he'd decided to let himself be guided by the annoyance, and now he wouldn't be able to give Sasuke his pain medication without making it look like he truly thought he deserved to go through that suffering.

He was still trying to find a way to get the almost hyperventilating boy at his side to calm down when he noticed it.

The mocking laughter.

Kakashi was stunned by it that for a second, and then he tried to convince himself that he was misinterpreting it. That Naruto was probably just being silly about the situation, about the stupid mistake his sensei had just made. Not laughing of _his teammate._

When he lifted his gaze, however, he was proved right about his first impression.

"Serves you right, bastard," Naruto snorted, eyes shining with such an arrogance that Kakashi felt his blood starting to burn again beneath his skin. "Look at you. Not feeling so presumptuous when it's about something as little as a needle, heh?"

"Naruto," Kakashi warned, voice threateningly low, but the boy didn't seem to care.

"You can say what you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you're this team's biggest nuisance right now," Naruto continued. "And because of your own fault, you self-centered idiot. You even got _punished_ because of that. Like a little brat."

"Naruto, I swear," Kakashi hissed. "One more word and—"

"Now go and _cry_ like the scared crybaby you are."

That was it.

Kakashi didn't even give Naruto the opportunity to blink before he was suddenly at his side, grabbing his arm with a roughness that made the boy whine. He barely managed to oblige himself to loosen his grip a little, thanks to the tiny voice of his common sense that was trying to get to him over the increasing anger and headache.

Then he forced Naruto to turn around and brought his hand down, hard, on his backside.

"Enough!" Kakashi's voice boomed, with a tone much louder than the one he usually used to reprimand his students. A shiver ran down Naruto's spine, the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck visibly standing up. Then a heavy silence fell over the entire room, and Kakashi forced himself to take three deep breaths before striding to the sofa and yanking Naruto with him, none too gently.

"I can guarantee you, Naruto," Kakashi said, sitting down and not giving the boy a chance to protest before throwing him over his knee with another yank. "That there won't be only one person crying this night."

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei, I—" Naruto desperately tried to get back up, squirming and kicking and looking back at Kakashi with wide, panicked eyes. He wasn't nearly as stupid as he sometimes tried to make it seem. He evidently understood how bad he'd fucked up. "—I-I didn't mean it like that. I can explain it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Each second I count in which you don't stop moving will earn you one more slap," Kakashi calmly informed. "One. Two. Three. Four."

He was purposely counting faster than seconds, so it did the trick perfectly. Naruto whimpered and finally lay still just as Kakashi counted to six, entire body shivering. It was clearly not the first time he was in that position. Unlike Sakura, who'd made known how authentically and deeply sorry she was from the very beginning of the punishment, Naruto was using empty apologies only to try and get away with no consequences.

Kakashi wasn't going to have any of it.

"Then I'll make you sorrier," He said, taking his time to take his right glove off. "You know the rules. Being an asshole to your own teammates. Will. Not. Be. Tolerated. Reflect on that for the next five minutes, I'll give you a hand."

"No. No, no, no, please, sensei, no— "

Kakashi delivered two swift smacks, interrupting him and making him yelp.

"Now. That's not a good place to start," He said, while pinning Naruto's legs down with his own when the boy started to squirm again. "Let's start with this: why, in the name of all the honorable Founders of this village, did you think that it would be _funny_ to make fun of your teammate's need for medicament?"

"Because he was being an idiot, sensei! He was the one who started this fight and—" Naruto yelled once again and desperately kicked his feet when Kakashi's hand came down another five times, on the very same spot.

"Wrong answer," Kakashi said, and forced himself to ignore the small sniffs he obtained as an answer. "There's no valid argument to justify going against your friends on sensitive matters. Do you understand? I don't care if the world is ending. You just _don't_ do it at all, Naruto. I'm so disappointed in you."

He heard the first sob. Whether it was because of his words or because of how he gradually picked up his pace to entirely cover his student's behind with his slaps, he couldn't tell. Though he suspected it was the first. Naruto surely had taken worse from Iruka at some point.

"I keep telling you three the same thing over and over again, but it's like you never learn the lesson," Kakashi continued, starting to give attention to Naruto's thighs. The sobbing intensified, along with the insistent pang in his head that was starting to make feel a little nauseous. "You need each other. There's nothing more valuable than the bond that exists within the members of a team. If you break that, then you're lost. Dead."

He stopped for a second when he noticed the redness of Naruto's neck, and the way his shoulders heaved while he silently wept with his face pressed against one of the cushions of the sofa. Tiny black dots danced in front of his eyes, and he had to rub his temples.

"I hate doing this, Naruto," Kakashi admitted. "Your teammates hate seeing you like this. Please, just don't do it ever again."

Naruto nodded weakly between sobs that were starting to interfere with his breathing. Kakashi had intended to talk to him about the stupidity of hitting someone with his own head while having a mild concussion, but the pain was starting to get almost unbearable. Both in his head and in his chest.

He didn't even bother into adding the six last slaps he'd promised. He only put one hand on the shoulder of his now-truly-sorry genin and felt afflicted when Naruto flinched under his touch at first. But then the boy seemed to get the message and lost no time before clumsily getting up and throwing himself at his sensei's arms.

"I-I am, so— so, so sorr—" Naruto babbled, incoherently, while pressing his teary face against his sensei's shoulders. He was trembling so much Kakashi couldn't help feeling a little worried. "So-sorry. Very. A lot—"

Kakashi shushed him softly, whispering that he'd already been forgiven, and that made the boy cry even harder. Though he'd absolutely expected Naruto to be a crier, especially when the lesson was about taking care of his very precious _teammates_ , he certainly hadn't expected so many tears.

Could teenagers die from dehydration from crying? If Sasuke had been the one crying that much, Kakashi wouldn't have doubted for a second on taking him back to the hospital for another IV. The shoulder of his uniform was now damp.

And, even though he was holding Naruto as tight as he could against him, the boy was still attempting to press even closer. Which hurt a little. Kakashi didn't manage to convince him of stopping until he started running his hand up and down his back, while purposely taking deep breaths in an attempt to get Naruto to imitate him.

It took some good five minutes before the crying finally ceased, and then Kakashi could finally let himself relax. He kept caressing Naruto's back, though. There was something in the way he clung to him that gave him the impression that Naruto was in desperate need for affection. And he was going to deliver.

"Sasuke told me that it was my fault he got hurt that day," Naruto whispered, taking Kakashi by surprise.

"What?" Kakashi said, lifting his gaze to meet Sasuke's. His face had regained the color, but the boy avoided his eyes by looking the other way. Kakashi would've gotten angry if not for how distraught Sasuke suddenly looked. "Is that true, Sasuke?"

"No. I didn't say that," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He usually made that out of arrogance. But that day it seemed almost like he was trying to hide. "He was just being so annoying and complaining about not being able to take missions for a week. He wanted to blame me."

"But you did insinuate that it had been Naruto's fault," Kakashi guessed, and knew he was right when he saw Sasuke lower his head and bite his lower lip. He sighed. "That's why Naruto got so upset and acted like an idiot."

"I didn't know he would react like that."

"Sasuke."

The slightest reproving tone was enough to make the boy shudder and stay quiet. It didn't draw an apology from him, but this was Sasuke. He didn't go around delivering apologies. Kakashi would've demanded one if he didn't know how anxious his student was already feeling.

"Naruto," He whispered, noticing that he had now closed his eyes. "I still need to inject Sasuke. You can't fall asleep on me. I need you to get up for some minutes, okay?"

"Not fair," Naruto complained, sniffing. "You made me cry first, sensei."

Kakashi chuckled while he gently nudged him to stand.

"Now, that's no one's fault but yours."

Naruto finally obeyed and grumpily dragged himself out of the couch. To Kakashi's surprise, that was almost like an invitation for Sasuke to get closer to him. He didn't walk straight to where he was sitting but roamed near the sofa like he was a tiny moon gravitating towards its planet. All of that with his eyes still glued to the floor, making his shame quite obvious.

Kakashi patiently waited for Naruto and Sakura to leave the room before catching Sasuke's wrist and gently tugging him closer. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't shocked when Sasuke decided for draping himself over his lap, without Kakashi having to nudge him or restrain him or order him anything at all. Then he also unbuttoned his pants and tried to pull them down, but by then his hands were shaking so much that Kakashi just had to stop him.

"I'll do it," He said, running a hand through Sasuke's hair to put it away from his face and passingly caressing his cheek. That persuaded Sasuke of finally meeting his eyes. "You do know that Naruto didn't mean what he said, right? He was crying so much because he felt guilty."

"He was crying so much because you were scorching his ass," Sasuke pointed out, frowning. Kakashi chided him by tugging one strand of his hair with no actual force.

"You know it's not like that," Kakashi said, and then he rummaged in his pouch until he found one of the syringes. "How's your neck feeling?"

"Why are you asking me if that won't change the fact, you'll be sticking that damn needle in me?" Sasuke complained, and Kakashi could hear a pout in his voice.

"It comforts me to be aware of the dramatic difference before and after the medicine," Kakashi explained, pulling Sasuke's pants down and then his boxers. He inevitably flinched when he noticed there was a bruise. Then he cursed for himself. "I gave you a bruise the last time, Sasuke. Why didn't you tell me? A nurse should be doing this."

"I hate nurses," Sasuke mumbled.

Kakashi was about to chide him when he realized that by that Sasuke actually meant « _I don't want anyone else than you to do it_ »

"I need you to relax," He almost pleaded, while swabbing Sasuke's skin with the alcohol wipe as far as he could from the bruise. Then he uncapped the syringe and held it in position, though he concentrated on massaging Sasuke's shoulders with his free hand first. His student had already started to tremble. "I'll prepare tomato soup just for you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Sasuke's muscles relaxed for a second, and Kakashi took that opportunity to press the needle in as gently as he could. Sasuke whimpered, but it was nothing compared to the usual cry he usually let out. Then Kakashi started emptying the syringe, and Sasuke clenched again and the usual sobbing started. Kakashi really tried to comfort him, hard, but it was of no use until he finally took the needle out.

Then he pressed the wipe against the puncture for a few seconds before pulling Sasuke's clothes back into place. He hadn't even rebuttoned Sasuke's pants when the boy was already scrambling onto his lap and hiding his face in the crook of his neck. Kakashi could only whisper sweet nothings against the crown of his head while tracing small figures with his fingers on his back like he'd done with Naruto, patiently waiting for him to fall asleep.

A few minutes after he finally did, Naruto and Sakura entered back into the living room carrying a cup of tea. They gave it to him, and then they curled up against him too and promptly fell asleep, without saying much. It was after the first sip of tea that Kakashi realized it had some medicinal herbs in it, for the pain.

He pressed a loud kiss against Sakura's wide, charming forehead as soon as he did. Even though it was a little hard with Sasuke in his lap. She was always so observing, so smart. Kakashi didn't deserve her. Except perhaps he did, after having to deal with all of their antics.

He allowed himself to close his eyes, once more, and hoped that this time he'd put his foot down firm enough not to have any more trouble soon.


	5. Tomatoes

Sorry if there are a lot of grammatical mistakes! Thank you soo much to Heart and the Guests for the reviews (:

* * *

Hearing something that sounded a lot like porcelain _exploding_ into thousands of tiny pieces in the kitchenhad Kakashi wincing and suppressing a groan. Naruto shrieked in terror and apologized loudly, but of course that that didn't spare him from Sakura's wrath. Next thing Kakashi could hear was a thud, followed by Naruto's pitiful whines.

He covered his face with one hand and sighed helplessly, knowing that yelling at them from the room would be of no use because they wouldn't even hear him. He was aware that his tiny genin were just trying to be helpful and meant no harm, and he loved them for that, but that didn't mean he was happy about them working unsupervised around his beloved and expensive kitchenware.

But he didn't have a choice. At least not until his third tiny student decided to start acting his age and to stop sulking and pouting. Sasuke was curled half on top of him, head stubbornly tucked under his chin, practically pining Kakashi to the futon. He wouldn't let his sensei move the slightest bit. Whenever Kakashi tried to reason with him, Sasuke would only glare at him and bare his teeth slightly.

He would also growl softly and nuzzle Kakashi whenever he dared to stop dragging the tip of his fingers along his back, demanding for him to continue with his ministrations. Kakashi'd been dutifully coddling Sasuke for the entire last hour because he'd been secretly hoping it would eventually coax the boy into cooperating and accepting his medicine, but by then it was obvious that would never happen.

"Sasuke," Kakashi warned, though his voice wasn't half as stern as he'd meant it to be. "These two are going to stab each other to death if I don't intervene soon. Would you please let me up, so we can't be over with this from once?"

Sasuke clenched one of his hands into a loose fist, grabbing a handful of Kakashi's uniform. He was evidently making his best to be difficult, but Kakashi couldn't help being reminded of a very dozy kitten. The rhythm at which his genin's heart thumped was more of a rabbit's, though.

It wasn't fair. Kakashi hated to be the villain of the story. If it were entirely his choice, he would only drag the other two demons back in the room and cuddle the three of them back to sleep. But he couldn't do that. He had to prove himself a responsible adult, though even he doubted that from time to time.

"The sooner we do it, the sooner it will be over," Kakashi said, threading his fingers through Sasuke's hair, which was still wet from the shower he'd taken an hour ago. "And if you're relaxed it'll be faster, too. I promise you can forget about needles after this. You won't be seeing them again in a long time."

"No," Sasuke declared, firmly, tightening his grip. Then he burrowed his face closer into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi had to suppress another groan. He wanted to feel _annoyed,_ he really did. Sasuke was being a brat and therefore ought to be treated like one, but Kakashi just _couldn't_ rebuke him. All of his irritation was directed at the stupid low-grade fever his genin had woken up with.

The doctor had said a single injection should be enough, but he had also very clearly specified that Sasuke was to get a second one if he happened to get another fever in the next days. Which was very, very unlikely. But, of course, given that the world hated Kakashi, it just _had_ to happen. So now Sasuke didn't only need his last dose of anti-inflammatory, but also a shot more to fight the infection. Two needles at once. _Delightful._

It made sense Sasuke was refusing to do anything else than hate him in silence.

Another crashing sound coming from the kitchen was all it took for Kakashi to finally lose the little patience he had left.

"I'm trying to be sympathetic here, Sasuke," Kakashi said, hardening his voice. "But I'm warning you, you'll either move _now_ and let me inject you, or you'll force me to make you obey in a much less pleasant way. And you'll still get your injections. The only difference will be that you'll also be very sorry while I give them to you."

Sasuke stayed silent for a few seconds, but then he raised his head to look directly at his eyes, and Kakashi had one his worst fears confirmed when he noticed there was a small smirk on his genin's lips. The little bastard _knew_ he wouldn't dare to fulfill his threat. That he didn't have nearly as much courage to deliver a single smack to his already sore rear.

It made Kakashi feel panic for a second. But then he forced it down, because he knew for a fact that Uchihas could feel fear, especially the tiny ones. And he wouldn't let his student use that power on him, much less to manipulate him. So, he raised his hand and brought it back down on Sasuke's thigh, without even breaking eye contact.

Sasuke jolted, evidently taken by surprise, and gaped at him while any trace of smugness drained away from his face. Confusion took over him for a few seconds after realizing his plan hadn't been as well planned as he'd thought, but then he regained his dignity and gave Kakashi his fiercest glare.

Kakashi raised his hand again, warning implicit in his eyes. Sasuke flinched but held his gaze without blinking. Daring him. So Kakashi gave him another smack, this time a little higher, closer to his undercurve, and Sasuke hissed and squirmed while Kakashi sat them both straight up.

"You'll stay put while I go and get your medicine," Kakashi announced, pushing his genin to lie back down on as gently as he could. "And you'll take deep breaths, because I need you to be relaxed. Understood?"

Sasuke didn't say a word. He only rolled onto his side, sniffling softly to himself.

Kakashi could only sigh and contain a third groan of frustration as he left the room, resigning himself to be hated by one of his students for the next three months.

* * *

Well, maybe he was going to be hated by his _three_ students, actually.

"It was an accident, sensei!" Naruto whimpered, while he wriggled in his grip, trying to twist away from his fate. Which was Kakashi's hand, raised high in the air. "I'm _so_ sorry, you know! I didn't mean to break it, I swear! I was— just— Sakura-chan already hit me and I have a bump on my head and it hurts so—"

The boy _screeched_ as Kakashi gave him three regular, not-even-that-stinging smacks, and jumped away from harm as soon as he was released. He sniffled and rubbed his behind while he looked accusingly at his sensei, big baby blue eyes shining with unshed tears and resentment.

"That's not fair Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined, lower lip sticking out. "Sakura-chan only got one and she broke the vase on purpose!"

"The vase wasn't nearly as expensive as the porcelain cup. And she broke it out of _anger_ because you made a mistake that could've burned half the house down if she hadn't noticed on time," Kakashi said, narrowing his eyes. Sakura pouted at him while she also rubbed the sting away, as if asking him _why_ she had gotten in trouble too if her reasons were understandable. "But we have already talked on handling anger many times. Have we not?"

Sakura had the decency to look ashamed.

"And she knows a lot better than to hit someone on the head after they very recently had a concussion, right?" Kakashi accompanied that statement with a second swat for Sakura, since he hadn't been fully aware of that before. "This is why I didn't want to leave you two alone, you see?"

Both tiny delinquents stood there in silence, sad eyes fixed to their feet, while Kakashi rummaged through the kitchen until he found a tomato that looked edible enough. Then he expertly sliced it into a few pieces and placed them in a bowl. He knew Sasuke liked eating tomatoes like they were apples, but that could get _messy,_ and he wasn't feeling like having tomato juice spilled all over his futon.

"The eggs are looking good and smell nice, though," Kakashi admitted, stopping by the stove to judge their attempt at breakfast. Not bad, for two demons who'd almost set everything in fire. "But Sasuke will only have tomato and rice. I don't want to risk him feeling like throwing up again."

He served a small portion of rice in the bowl and grabbed a pair of _hashi_. At the mention of their teammate, Sakura and Naruto raised their heads, concern obvious in their large eyes. It was adorable. Kakashi made sure to ruffle their hair as he walked past them.

"He'll be fine," He said, smiling reassuringly. "I'm going to give him another prick for that. He's not going to like it, but it'll make him feel better. He'll be joining you soon."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a knowing glance, looking just slightly alarmed. Then they nodded at each other, and determination brightened their faces. From then, it was practically as if they'd forgotten their sensei was even there. They started moving around the kitchen, looking for different things. Kakashi couldn't fight back a smile.

" _Behave,_ please. And stay away from the porcelain," Kakashi said. "I won't be as merciful as I was if something else breaks."

* * *

It took another four smacks to get Sasuke to finally lay down on his stomach, though not even that stopped him from struggling against Kakashi's firm grip. He was being awfully disobedient that morning, and Kakashi just didn't know what to do anymore. He only wanted that whole ordeal to be over, but Sasuke wouldn't cooperate.

"I'm going to _hurt_ you if you keep thrashing around like this, Sasuke," Kakashi hissed, as he rolled up the oversized shirt Sasuke was wearing. He'd lent his three genin a few of his old clothes, since they'd refused to go back to their homes to take theirs. He'd done it many times before, it was much better than having the kids sleep in their filthy mission clothes. They always carried spare underwear in their backpacks, but nothing else. "You were so good last night. Why can't you be like that today too?"

He understood what was happening as soon as he lowered Sasuke's pants and boxers, much less gently than he usually did, and he noticed the boy wincing and drowning a whine against the pillow. Kakashi apologized softly, rubbing between Sasuke's shoulder blades.

He'd forgotten it would be the first time he would inject Sasuke _on time,_ only a few hours after the last injection, so he was still sore. And now he wasn't only going to be sore on the other side as well, but last night's side would hurt more too. Wonderful.

"I'm so sorry," Kakashi said, resorting to start caressing Sasuke's hair once again. "This is somehow my fault, right? I _supposedly_ cooked that stupid fish."

* * *

It took half an hour for Sasuke to stop hiccupping and feeling sorry for himself and leave the room, limping on the side that hurt him the most and effectively making Kakashi feel like the worst villain available in the house. He followed his genin to the living room, carrying the bowl of tomato and rice he'd left untouched, and saw him struggle to try and come up with a position that would allow him to lay down on his belly and still manage to see the TV.

Kakashi resigned himself to become a human pillow for the next hours, for his student's sake, and took the initiative to settle on the sofa. That earned him a scowl from Sasuke. The boy looked so annoyed that Kakashi feared for a second he'd give up on watching TV just to avoid having to be in the same room as him. So, before he could decide for that, Kakashi took him by the wrist and tugged him closer.

It wasn't hard to convince Sasuke to lay down on top of him again after that. He could hate him, but he was also drowsy because of the medicine. He wouldn't fall asleep, because he'd done plenty of that already and didn't need it anymore, but he wasn't in the condition to put up another fight.

"You still need to eat," Kakashi said, softly but firmly while he pushed Sasuke's bangs away from his face. The boy scrunched up his nose, not happy to be ordered around by his official torturer. "I won't give you another injection if you throw up. I need you to try."

"I don't want it."

Kakashi sighed and covered his face with the hand he wasn't using to pamper the ungrateful little shit that was using him as a mattress, forcing himself to count to three. There were still dry traces of tears on Sasuke's his cheeks, and he was still warm with fever. Kakashi couldn't murder him when he was like that.

"Bastard!"

The door opened, and only then Kakashi realized with dread that the house had been _unusually quiet_ in the last hour. He would make the worst father in the world. He was lucky he'd been given teenagers and not _toddlers._ Though sometimes he had his doubts on that.

"Why didn't any of you two tell me that you'd be heading out?" Kakashi asked, narrowing his eyes at the two genin that'd just come through the door. They'd both changed to their own clean clothes, and Naruto was holding what he suspected was a change for Sasuke in a plastic bag.

"Because it had to be a surprise," Naruto said, rolling his eyes like it was obvious. "And we didn't want to hear the bastard whi—"

Sakura didn't let him end that sentence. To her credit, this time her fist wasn't aimed at Naruto's head, so she didn't get in trouble again.

"We only felt like having a popsicle," Sakura said, smiling sweetly. "It's so hot, sensei."

Sasuke visibly perked up at the mention of popsicles, and took a sudden interest in the conversation as his teammates came closer to them. Kakashi found that funny and got a little worried. Sasuke didn't like sweet things, he doubted Naruto and Sakura had brought something for him with them…

Except they had.

And Naruto now proudly held a red plastic-covered popsicle in his hand. It was already melting a little, but still seemed mostly frozen. Sasuke's entire face lit up and he made something similar to what Kakashi could only call grabby hands. It took him a few seconds more to realize in _terror_ that that probably wasn't a strawberry or cherry-flavored popsicle.

"Do you remember that nice lady we painted our first fence for, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, while Naruto very cheerfully handed the popsicle over to Sasuke. "She also sells the best popsicles. And she's got _a wide variety_ of flavors."

Sasuke swiftly disposed of the plastic bag and started sucking on the ice, not bothered at all by the small drops that started falling right on his sensei's uniform. Kakashi was still too shocked to ask.

"We also bought an eggplant one for you, sensei!"

* * *

It's really late and I apologize for the nonsense


	6. Unfortunate

I apologize for the grammatical errors! And I want to thank you alll of you for all your beautiful comments you're all lovelies and I love to read about your own thoughts on the character's personalities! It's so nice!

Alsoo, I swear I was very convinced to make that last chapter the end of Sasuke's suffering. Buut a Guest here said they'd like to see more of sick Sasuke not wanting to take his medicine, and I'm weak for that, so of course I had to do it. I promise I won't be messing with him much more poor bby.

* * *

That mission had started so well.

After one week out of service, Team 7 was doing fantastic in their new assignment. Kakashi didn't have a single complaint so far. His genin had been behaving so good he was sure even Guy would have been jealous. They'd obeyed all of his orders without making much of a fuss and, though they'd obviously still took any chance they were given to bicker, no one had attempted to asphyxiate anyone yet. And, after three days of everyone sleeping in the same room, that was to say a lot.

Maybe a normal sensei wouldn't have felt proud about that. That was the least that could be expected from normal genin, after all.

But for Kakashi, it was a gift from heaven.

He'd even made sure to treat the kids to whatever they mentioned they wanted to eat every day while working or training, to encourage them to continue being that dutifully cute. And, after they'd advanced more than it was planned in a single day, he'd also decided to ask their client for permission for his students to have that afternoon free. The man had been so satisfied by their work that he hadn't hesitated into inviting them to relax in the small artificial pond that accompanied the small house they were helping to build.

The kids had been ecstatic. Sweaty and tired after a very long day of work, and after taking care of a small group of bandits that same morning, they'd even jumped into the water with their clothes still on.

Well, actually Naruto had been the one to shove both his teammates in without their consent. But Sasuke and Sakura hadn't been as half as furious as they'd normally be about that, and they hadn't made an attempt to undress themselves after that. They hadn't too busy playfully —at least Kakashi hoped it was _playful_ — trying to drown Naruto.

It had been really satisfying to watch them having fun. Especially after they'd earned it. He should have suspected, though, that maybe allowing children to get soaked so soon before the night fell wasn't so much of a good idea. Much less when they were so close to the Land of Water, where the weather was disgustingly humid, and the nights were cold even in summer.

He'd adulted well enough to at least be aware that he had to get them out as soon as Sakura had first sneezed, though. He'd wrapped each of them up in dozens of towels and then he'd taken them into the house, which already counted with a very functional bathroom. He'd then boiled water for them to shower and then he'd bullied them into drinking ginger tea, only to be on the safe side.

After closing all the windows in the unfinished guest room they were staying, he'd forced them in one single futon. Each one had been provided with one by their generous client, but one was big enough to fit the four of them perfectly. He hadn't minded about the murderous glances sent his way while he tucked them in. He'd much rather have them throwing a silent tantrum than feeling miserable the next morning because of the cold.

Once they were finished pouting, they'd fallen asleep curled around each other. Kakashi had checked and reinforced the seals placed around the room, and then he'd laid on top of the covers and allowed himself to close his eyes to fall into that semi-conscious state of sleep that still enabled him to be aware of anything suspicious happening around.

And it hadn't been _suspicious,_ but he'd still woken up when Sasuke's head had whacked his chin in the middle of the night, while the boy turned and tossed in his sleep. That'd been how he'd realized that the boy was burning up with fever.

Marvelous.

* * *

Kakashi had felt truly baffled at first, because colds weren't that aggressive. He knew that for a fact. One surely couldn't get such a hell of a fever out of nowhere, only a few hours after swimming in slightly cold water. Sasuke didn't have a runny nose, nor was he coughing or sneezing. His voice didn't sound hoarse either.

It wasn't until Kakashi had noticed the boy scratching and pulling at his ear in his delirious sleep, face scrunched up in pain, that he'd understood that the problem was. That hadn't made him feel any less confused, though.

He'd noticed Sasuke was feeling a little bit under the weather when the mission had started, and it had been obvious that the problem was in his right ear because of how the boy would apprehensively rub it from time to time. But Sasuke hadn't complained a single time, and he'd done very well on his tasks, so Kakashi hadn't thought it was something he should worry about.

Ear infections were only threatening for small children, after all. He knew from his own experience that in teenagers they usually cleared away by themselves after a few days. Or at least that's what he'd thought. Maybe Sasuke would be okay after a few hours.

Kakashi wasn't feeling like taking any chances, though. As soon as their client had arrived at the house a little before the sun went up, at the hour he and Kakashi usually had their small meeting to talk about the plans for the day, Kakashi'd asked for a recommendation about a doctor he could take Sasuke to.

He'd been planning to take his genin to the small village that was only half an hour away, really fast so they could be back before it was breakfast time. But their client, being the wealthy and fatherly man he was, had insisted into calling his own personal family doctor to make a visit so the child wouldn't have to be out in the awful morning fog.

Kakashi had very politely tried to refuse, arguing that all Sasuke probably needed was some drops to reduce the swelling in his ear, but the man wouldn't even let him speak as he hastily scribbled a reminder note for himself and shoved it into his pocket. Then he'd firmly held Kakashi's gaze, and very seriously informed that he was a father of five and that his instincts shouldn't be questioned.

Then, he'd also calmly explained that ninja had saved her littlest daughter's life a few years ago, and that that meant there was no way he would allow Kakashi pay for his young student's doctor visit. That he had nothing to worry about.

Then he'd left, even before they had the chance to discuss which advances where expected from them that day, and no more than twenty minutes had passed after his leave before another well-dressed man knocked at the door, looking only a little disheveled after apparently running all the way there.

The doctor looked only a little bit disappointed to learn that his patient only had an ear infection, but not surprised at the slightest. He was used to wealthy people proclaiming there was an emergency when their children were only in a little pain. He was a pediatrician.

Sasuke was mortified to learn that, even through the fever's daze. The doctor shoved a stuffed cat in his arms, not even stopping to have a proper look at him to determine his age before sticking the thermometer under his armpit. Kakashi could only bribe him not to throw daggers with his eyes at the doctor by scratching his scalp gently.

Well, he wasn't sure of how he'd gotten so lucky that time, but he was grateful for it. Their client had saved him from the fuss Sasuke usually made every time he was informed he was going to be taken to the doctor's. Things were going to be so much easier.

* * *

Things were so not going to be easy. At all.

"Wait," Kakashi intervened, trying to conceal his nervousness. The doctor raised an eyebrow at him. "It thought it was only an ear infection."

Sasuke was awfully still and quiet, but Kakashi could see his chest heaving while his eyes followed every single movement the doctor made, without blinking once. He was unconsciously clinging to the covers with clenched fists, face too pale for someone with such a high fever. If he didn't do anything, things were about to go _wrong._

Terribly wrong.

"A _very nasty_ ear infection," The doctor said, pursing his lips. "I would say I'm surprised the kid didn't complain even once, but I know you ninja too well. Always pretending you can deal with anything by pure conviction and stubbornness. His eardrum is _ruptured._ Do you understand how serious that is?"

Kakashi didn't. He didn't even know that was possible until then, actually. But it sounded bad. Bad enough for surgery. So, he didn't truly understand why the doctor looked so calm while he gingerly examined Sasuke's ear once more, eyebrows furrowed so close together they were almost one.

"Is he going to be _deaf_ in one ear? Forever?" Kakashi muttered, appalled, almost for himself. He was so dead. So so much very dead. Tsunade would have _his head_ as soon as she found out. Even the third Hokage would murder him. The Third wasn't the most _exemplary_ ninja when it came to taking care of children, but there was a difference between genin getting hurt in battle and genin becoming incapacitated for life for something so _dumb._

Luckily, the doctor threw a look at him that made it very clear he thought he was an idiot.

"No," He stated. "He _will_ have trouble hearing for the next days, but the eardrum heals on its own. He _could_ stay deaf forever if he doesn't receive the proper medical attention, though. He's now very, very vulnerable to more infections. That's why I'm putting him on antibiotics."

"Do you think—," Kakashi took in a deep breath, gathering courage. Doctors themselves were scary, but pediatricians were absolutely terrifying. "That, maybe, um— maybe he could have oral medicine?"

As soon as he said that, an unsettling silence reigned in the room. Naruto and Sakura's sleepy voices could be heard in the hallway, where Kakashi had sent them as soon as they'd woken up Naruto had started picking on Sasuke.

Kakashi knew he'd fucked up when he saw the outraged fury in the doctor's eyes.

"This _kid_ has been in pain for at least the last five days and yet he worked and trained all that time while enduring the despicable temperature changes of this place without doing as little as proclaiming he could use an over-the-counter antihistamine," The doctor said between his teeth. "And you, his teacher, still had the audacity to go and propose him to go and take a swim it that stupidly- _full-of-microbes_ pond outside."

Kakashi cringed. Well, now that he put it like that, it _really_ sounded like he was the biggest idiot in the story of idiotic sensei.

"You do understand we have no way of knowing when did his eardrum rupture, right?" The doctor continued. "Could have been at midnight. Could have been a few hours ago. Could have been _two_ days ago. Any of the options is just as awful as the other. Either way it means he's got contaminated water adding up a potential risk to the infection he already has."

He held up the two small vials of powder he'd retrieved from his briefcase minutes ago.

"And one can't trust ninjas with their own health," The doctor said. "So, given this boy's stubbornness, and your incompetency, no. There's no way he can have oral medicine. He'll have this antibiotic administered intramuscularly, and that's final."

Sasuke sat up immediately after that, just as the doctor also retrieved a mean-looking syringe, but Kakashi wrapped an arm around his middle to hold him down before he could scramble away. His genin looked up at him, eyes filled of resentment and treason, blinking repeatedly to conceal his panic. Kakashi pressed him against his side in an effort to provide him with some comfort, though it was obvious nothing would make his genin any less frightened.

"Hey, I'm sorry," He whispered, against Sasuke's sweaty hair. "This is my fault, I know. But I need you to hold still for this. You heard the doctor, you could go deaf in one ear if you're not taken care of. A needle is a less awful alternative, right?"

"You said I wouldn't be seeing needles in a _long time,_ Kakashi," Sasuke hissed, burying his fingers in Kakashi's arms. His nails, though very short, still hurt even through Kakashi's uniform. "I won't have this. Tell this man he can go away, I don't want his help."

Kakashi groaned and pressed his face against Sasuke's shoulder, not giving the genin the slightest chance to break free from his grip no matter how much he squirmed. His fever was so high his movements were sluggish, anyway. He was in no position to give a fight.

"You can have this the easy or the hard way, Sasuke," Kakashi warned. Sasuke showed him his teeth. "Listen. I know this is not fair. But this is not the matter of discussion at the moment, nor the priority. Your health is. And there's nothing that could get you out from this. Am I clear?"

Sasuke still tried to head-butt him, but Kakashi put an end to the discussion by manhandling his genin to lay back down on the covers. The boy continued wriggling and growling while he twisted and tossed like a freshly-fished fish, face growing red because of the effort. He actually had to stop for a few seconds, so he could take in a deep breath, eyes fluttering closed for a few seconds, but then he resumed his attempts at escape.

It was pitiful, and it made Kakashi's chest tighten. He didn't have to do much more than give a gentle shove to roll his genin over on his stomach, and only that was enough to make Sasuke double his efforts. Fever was clearly making him dizzy, though, and he had to stay still for a few seconds after that. Breath was coming in small and labored puffs from his mouth, and Kakashi had never seen him this exhausted after so little.

"I hate you," Sasuke muttered, glaring at Kakashi through his eyelashes with glassy black eyes. He was biting down hard on his lower lip, probably to stop himself from pouting. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. You're so stupid. I don't need you, I don't need you to take decisions for me, and you're a ridiculous attempt at teaching."

Then he coughed, and Kakashi noticed he was swallowing his tears. His words, though successfully made Kakashi feel a knot in his throat that didn't allow him to say anything, didn't really hurt him. Not more than it already did, at least. These were things Kakashi used to tell himself on a daily basis.

Sasuke's promises of hatred were only half-hearted, he knew him well enough to know that, but the part of the decision making and the ridiculous teaching was only truth. Kakashi didn't generally mind about that. Except when it was on times like that, when his ineptitude made him feel guilty.

"Not that I don't agree with this child," The doctor muttered, while he scooted closer to them. "But isn't this reaction a little bit of an exaggeration? It was his fault too, after all. He _should have_ told you he was feeling like death. A ruptured eardrum is no walk in the park."

"Phobia," Kakashi had to contain himself from spitting the word. "He's not acting rationally. It usually doesn't get as bad as this, but it's been less than a week since he finished a prescription for injections. He hasn't had a good month. And fever is only making things much worse."

"May I—"

"It would be better if you touched him the less you could," Kakashi interrupted him, meeting his eyes. Strange, how confident he was suddenly feeling. He was now the one with an intimidating look. "With all respect. In this state, the least he needs is to feel overwhelmed by strangers."

The doctor nodded, and Kakashi proceeded to hook one of his fingers in the waistband of Sasuke's shorts and boxers and to gently tug them down, barely enough to uncover a small patch of skin. He usually wasn't that careful when he was the one injecting Sasuke, but he was his sensei. He was sure Sasuke's pride never took it well when a complete stranger was the one who undressed him or saw more of him than necessary.

Sasuke whimpered as the doctor swabbed his skin with a cotton dampened in strong-smelling disinfectant, and he wriggled some more. Kakashi tutted softly and placed one hand on the small of his back to pin him in place, giving the doctor a small nod. He couldn't help glaring slightly at him as he saw him position the needle, but he had to force down his threatening intent when he noticed it was making the man nervous.

The doctor even winced when Sasuke whined as he stuck the needle in and threw a side-eyed glance at Kakashi as if making sure he wasn't about to put a kunai to his throat before starting to press the plunger down. Sasuke clawed at the pillow he'd buried his face into, drowning his sobs, and Kakashi felt bad for how good he was being even though he'd tried so hard to fight against that at the beginning.

He rubbed circles with his hand between Sasuke's shoulder blades as the boy trembled slightly. He was tense as a rock, Kakashi could feel that. The doctor didn't make any commentary on it, though, and concentrated on delivering the entire dose before taking the needle out. Sasuke started coughing then, face still pressed against the pillow, and Kakashi finally let his muscles relax a little.

"Well done," Kakashi praised, taking the doctor's place at holding the cotton against the tiny puncture and rubbing gently. "That's—"

"Other cheek, please," The doctor intervened, taking another syringe out of one of his pockets and uncapping it. Kakashi felt his heart stop for a second, and he stared at the doctor wide eyed.

Sasuke propped himself up in his elbows with a jump and started shaking his head no, of course. His face was red and there were still some tears running down his cheeks, which he usually never allowed Kakashi to see. He always took his time calming himself down before facing his sensei. But at that moment he looked too panicked to care.

Kakashi pressed him down again, gently but firmly, with the hand he had on his back. His heart broke when he heard Sasuke let out a betrayed sob. He readjusted his genin's clothes, though, and looked at the doctor daringly.

" _Another?"_ He made his best not to growl, but he didn't exactly succeed. His anger only increased as he noticed the new syringe had even a little more medicine than the previous one. "I understand this is serious. But I don't get why would you want to stick him _twice_ with the same thing."

"It's the entire dose. Two grams," The doctor explained hastily, taking a deep breath. Kakashi could at least have the satisfaction of knowing the man wasn't feeling any happy about it either, for he evidently feared his reaction if he did something wrong. And he had good reasons. Kakashi didn't think he could hold himself back if he made Sasuke cry any harder. "One gram is the limit for the muscle. It has to be divided."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him. But, after a few seconds of considering it, he finally returned his attention to his already very overwhelmed genin. Asking Sasuke to behave for any longer would be too much. He was already resuming his weak struggling.

"You're doing very good, Sasuke," Kakashi said, strengthening his hold only a little as he went to expose Sasuke's another butt cheek. He grimaced when he noticed the tiny dots of the previous needles could still be seen. "Only one more to go."

This time, Sasuke did try to kick Kakashi as the doctor disinfected his skin. Kakashi then had to shift his position so he could also pin his legs down.

This time, Sasuke yelped and jerked when the needle was inserted. The doctor, to his credit, had a very steady hand. The needle never bended in a wrong way, not even while Sasuke moved, even though it was visible how hard he was clenching.

Sasuke didn't have the time to press his face against the pillow this time, and Kakashi had to endure seeing him with his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he bit his lower lip and fresh tears made their way down his face. As soon as the last needle was out, the boy took in a deep breath before officially melting in tears.

"Senbon?" The doctor asked, in a whisper, while Kakashi pulled Sasuke's clothes back up and coaxed him to get up so he could gather him into his arms. He then let his genin stifle his whimpers against his neck, as usual, while he vigorously rubbed his back.

"Dozens of them," Kakashi nodded, voice just as low, while he shushed Sasuke with soft sounds. "But I don't think _being hurt_ by them was the problem. It was the nearest experience to death he's ever had."

The doctor also nodded, and then he handed Kakashi a small bottle. Kakashi didn't need to read it to know what it was, so he only opened it and tilted Sasuke's head, so he could release a few drops into his ear. The boy, not drowsy at all this time, wrinkled his nose in disgust at the feeling and tried to push Kakashi's arm away while he sniffled and tried to regain his dignity.

Kakashi had to take his chin in his hand and sternly command him to stay still for a few minutes. He could suck at being an adult, but he'd also been a child. And he could remember his father holding him in the same way whenever he needed ear drops. He knew he needed to wait in that position or the medicine would only go back out.

"Three times a day. Two weeks," The doctor said, disposing of the syringes and putting his belongings back in his briefcase. "No swimming in the pond. He should feel well enough tomorrow to be back on duty, but I highly recommend covering that ear and not having him work until too late. Wouldn't want him to need another injection."

"Wouldn't want _you_ to lose a one or two teeth," Sasuke's raspy voice answered, and Kakashi almost choked in laughter. He had to play adult, though, so he concealed his amusement and gave Sasuke a half-hearted smack on his thigh.

"Now, Sasuke," He reprimanded. "That's no way to thank this noble gentleman for helping you feel better. Be nice."

Sasuke sniffled once more and then started fighting for his freedom. Kakashi made him stay in place for a few minutes longer, but then he finally let go and his genin squirmed his way out of his lap. There was a deep frown in his face and betrayal still shining in his eyes. Kakashi was sure he just as well could say goodbye to that cute and obedient little genin he'd had that week, at least for the next two months. Those eyes promised vengeance.

He'd have to learn not to make promises he wasn't sure he would be able to fulfill.

"It's a bit worrying he's got this kind of infection, though," The doctor commented. "Are you sure he's eating well? His immune system doesn't seem to be doing very well at the moment. Maybe you should consider giving him vitam—"

Sasuke throwed the stuffed cat straight at the doctor's face and stomped out of the room with his arms crossed and his nose high in the air. Well, damn. Kakashi would have a lot of coddling to deliver that night if he expected his genin to be _the slightest_ of a proper human being for the next days.

"He hardly ate anything last week," Kakashi explained. "He caught a stomach bug. I think that explains everything."

He then got up hurriedly, realizing that the little shit had just gone out without anything covering his ear. Knowing Sasuke, he was just very capable of going _out_ and dump a handful of pond water straight into his ear only to make him angry. With so much antibiotic inside him, he surely would feel invincible for the next hours.

Before he could reach the door, he heard Sakura's excitedly squeak her teammate's name. Soon after that, he heard a thump, and Sakura repeated her reaction but this time with a worried screech. Sasuke's annoyed voice followed suit, telling her to stop being so dramatic.

"Oh," The doctor muttered. "I forgot to mention that. A ruptured eardrum can provoke dizziness."

Kakashi dropped his face into his hands.

* * *

So, yes, I was very determined to stop Sasuke's torture. But here we are. Yes.

I have been struggling a little to learn how to be a young-adult-attempt studying in a foreign country, so that's why I disappeared for a while. But I think I'm starting to get used to it, so I hope I'll be back and updating as often as before very soon!

Please do tell me if there's something else you'd like to watch in this story. It always makes me happy to write scenes/situations you'd like to see (:


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